ABSTRACT
The keyword for any kind of educational policy or practice in the United States is variability—and this is especially true for teacher education and development. The past twenty-five years have witnessed a remarkable amount of policy directed at teacher education in the United States—and an intense debate about whether and how various approaches to preparing and supporting teachers make a difference. A strong argument for professionalizing teaching was mounted in the mid-1980s with the report of the Carnegie Task Force on Teaching as a Profession, the Holmes Group (1986), and the founding of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards ([NBPTS], 1989). At that time researchers, policymakers, and practitioners of teaching and teacher education argued for the centrality of expertise to effective practice and the need to build a more knowledgeable and skillful professional teaching force. A set of policy initiatives was launched to design professional standards, strengthen teacher education and certification, increase investments in induction mentoring and professional development, and transform roles for teachers (see e.g., National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future [NCTAF], 1996).
